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Tag Archives: magician

This was a strange one.  It is always one of the better festivals I attend each year, and it proved to be no exception this year.  The strange part was getting in to the event.  Again, I didn’t have an invitation to attend, so I had to pay my own way.  I had arrived early and there was a lot of security.  I took all of my cunning to get past the front gate guard, but I was successful.  Again I performed alone which works out well at this particular event.  The children wanted balloons, but a lot of them want magic too, so I gratified them with both.

The Saturday performance went well even though I did it alone.  Nancy was there with more on her plate than anyone would want.  She is a trooper plus.  I gave away over 200 balloons, but I was so busy running the pump I didn’t do much magic.  I hope my fans didn’t mind.  It rained at my house on Sunday, and because I don’t have a canopy for cover, I didn’t attend.

I did get a little wet at the World Beat Festival, in fact quite soaked with the rest of my troupe.  I had with me a student I had met in magic class, Becky Ekland, and the instructor of the magic class John Edsall.  These two are true helpers.  I had invited Becky to join me and help inflate balloons.  She proved more than helpful.  John just happened by.  He wasn’t doing anything so he thought he’d see how we were doing.  If it hadn’t been for the rain, I’m sure we would have stayed longer.

Well, as you all know, I’ve been busy again this summer.  Here it is September already.

Fortunately, I have no performances scheduled for the rest of this year.

As for the Festivals I attended during this past summer, I can honestly say I enjoy each and every one of them.

I will be scheduling performances for next year soon and posting them here as they are scheduled.

Several sponsors are presenting the National Night Out this coming august 7.  It is being held in the rear parking lot of the Red Lion Hotel located at 3301 Market Street NE, Salem.  The event starts at 6:00 PM and will close at 9:00 PM.

The list of sponsors is extensive, but I will attempt to list them here:

The City of Salem Police Department

Red Lion Hotel

Ray & Joan Kroc

Might Mo, Inc.

Pixie’s Photography

Don Pancho, Authentic Mexican Foods

Hands and Words are Not For Hurting

and of course, Professor Laffmoore

Please forgive me if I have inadvertently missed anyone.

The Fork and Spoon Trick on video.

The Fork and Spoon Trick can be a lot of fun, but it will take some expertise and a lot of practice.  You will need to get the “feel” of it to do it properly.  If you don’t do it the first time, just keep trying.

The Ring and Chain Trick on video.

This is my second video.  They get better, just wait and  see.

Again, it is filmed by MHOphotos.com

Don’t forget to look for me at Faerieworlds Summer Festival in Eugene, Oregon on July 27, 28 and 29th..

I’ve added it to my performance schedule for the 2012 season.  This is one of my favorite festivals and I recommend it to anyone who has never been before.

I may be filming some parts of my perfomance at this festival, so if you get a chance to see me, please remember you may be photographed.

See what I found at About.com on the internet.

The first rubber balloons were made by Professor Michael Faraday in 1824 for use in his experiments with hydrogen at the Royal Institution in London.

I find this fact interesting because first of all the balloon was invented by a Professor.  And second of all I know this professor from my studies in electricity.  You see, I know quite a bit about electricity, and its effect on balloons.

Did you know that if you rub a balloon over the skin of your forearm several times, that it will pick up a static electric charge.  You can use this static electric charge to do some interesting things.

You can make the hair on your head stand up simply by passing the balloon over your head, but not to close, just above your hair.  You will find “the hair standing up trick” is a lot of fun to show other people.

Another trick you can perform with a balloon is to stick it up on the ceiling using the same technique of rubbing it on your arm to “charge” it with electricity.  You may need the help of an adult to get the balloon to the ceiling, but after you rub it on your arm you can easily stick it to the ceiling. It won’t keep the charge very long, but it should stick on the ceiling for several seconds.

Here is my schedule for planned appearances for the coming year 2012.  More will be added as information becomes available.

Jun 30-July 1        World Beat Festival, Salem, OR

July 7                      Portland Saturday Market, Portland, OR

July 13                   Oregon Country Fair, near Eugene, OR

July 14-15               Canterbury Renaissance Festival, Mt. Angel, OR

July 21-22              Canterbury Renaissance Festival, Mt. Angel, OR

July 27, 28 & 29    FaerieWorlds Summer Festival, Eugene, OR

August 3-5            Downtown Street Fair,  Coeur d’Alene, ID

August 7                National Night Out,  Red Lion Inn, Salem, OR